Chen Xiaoxi does not like Li Wei, not only because she also likes Jiang Chen, but also because she’s pretty, smart, and can play the piano. At the New Year’s gala when they were in Senior Year 2, she played a piano duet together with Jiang Chen as their class representative on the school competition.
She could still remember how she was standing amongst the crowd of audience that day, watching the two of them sit side by side right in front of the piano. After their gazes met in tacit understanding, all 20 fingers of their four hands then began to flutter across the black and white keys of the piano. Even though they were wearing school uniforms, Chen Xiaoxi however, felt like they were wearing their wedding clothes, and under the blinding lights, this pair of newlyweds was playing their wedding song for their guests — the National Anthem of the People’s Republic of China.
That presentation won the first prize, the reason being they played the piece well, their value for being ideal is high, and moreover, when the school's principal conferred the award to them, he even made use of the sentence, "A good pair of golden boy and jade girl." Tch.
The feeling of standing downstage and looking up at other people onstage was really awful. It was as though they were standing in a world filled with brightness, while she was standing in a world filled with darkness, where she could only look at them from afar, so far that she wouldn't be able to reach them, really sad.
She didn't go home together with Jiang Chen that day. In fact, she hasn't been going home with Jiang Chen for a week or two now, the reason being Jiang Chen and Li Wei had to practice the piano after classes. Chen Xiaoxi had waited for him once, they practised until the sky turned dark, she and Jiang Chen also had to send Li Wei home. Along the way, both of them were discussing about where they made a mistake, which quarter of a beat they could let slip. Chen Xiaoxi was unable to make sense of what she was hearing, all she got was flyswatter, and it is used to swat flies as the name implies. Everyone who has been in a situation where they are stuck in the middle of other people's conversation would know this feeling, and that kind of feeling was rather discomforting. Moreover, when Chen Xiaoxi got home after experiencing such uncomfortable situation, she was chased around the house by her mum for a beating as it was already late, this matter was even more double-edged than a double-edge sword. Hence, she just told Jiang Chen she had to go back home early for dinner, later on she really just went home early to have dinner.
(T/N: The chinese characters for beat (pai zi) could also refer to paddle-shaped objects like a flyswatter ( cang ying pai) as pai means to swat or pat)
As soon as Jiang Chen has received the award, he went straight back to their classroom. When he got there, the classroom was empty without a single soul in sight. Perhaps some of them already went home, and perhaps some of them were still watching the awarding ceremony in the auditorium. He casually shoved his award inside his drawer from under his desk, and then casually searched for his tutoring book and fished it out. As he turned a leaf over, it was as though a thought suddenly came to his mind, he lifted his head to look over at Chen Xiaoxi's desk, her bag wasn't there, so he carefully tried to search in his memories. When he was onstage just now, he seemed to have caught sight of her standing downstage with her backpack. Standing onstage, how was it possible that he was able to recognise that it was her when there were so many people? He also doesn't know the answer to it. It has been going on for quite some time, he could quickly spot her in a crowd by just a mere glance, well, maybe not just a glance, but after a few glances he'd always be able to totally, accurately, and unmistakably pinpoint her position. Sporting a short hair that was a little bit messier than that of others, standing foolishly like a radish taking root within the crowd, she was very eye-catching.
So the reason she went to the auditorium carrying her backpack was for her to return straight home as soon as she was done watching the awarding ceremony? He carefully tried to recall again, when the award was handed over to him by the principal, he swept his gaze across the crowd. At that point, he wasn't able to find Chen Xiaoxi.
Jiang Chen shoved the book back inside his drawer, took his bag and went out of the classroom. Perhaps, as the majority of the students were still in the auditorium, so he saw only few students walking home. Jiang Chen walked exceptionally fast. In the end, he already reached home and still wasn't able to see Chen Xiaoxi.
As soon as Jiang Chen entered his room, he threw his bag on the desk, then quickly pulled the curtains of his window apart — Chen Xiaoxi was at home, sitting on the couch, holding a bowl of rice, eating while watching TV at the same time. He closed the curtains heavily, then laid down on his bed in a daze. Afterwards, two knocks came from the door, and Auntie Li's voice could be heard, "Little Chen, your mum and dad won't be coming home for dinner tonight. I already placed your dinner on the table. When you're done eating, just put the bowl in the sink, alright. I'm going home, I'll come back later."
"Okay. You take care." Jiang Chen said, then thought it over again and hopped off his bed to open the door. "Auntie, you don't have to come over here later, I'll wash my own bowl." (T/N: A little note because I don't think we mentioned about this previously but when Jiang Chen is talking to his elders, he uses the polite version of "you" 你 ni which is 您 nin.)
"Well, alright then."
Jiang Chen ate dinner alone and washed his dishes alone, he pulled the curtains apart, leaving a narrow gap in between where he could watch Chen Xiaoxi refusing to acknowledge her defeat to her mum when it comes to washing the dishes. Every time she was done eating, she would play this game together with her mum which would determine who would be washing the dishes. Her mum would always win, but she enjoys doing such shameless act and never gets tired of it.
In the future, she would also do the same act, and he would always win. Every now and then, he would yield and let her win once or twice, and he'd watch her smile proudly at herself, making her eyes turn a crescent shape.
The following day, Jiang Chen noticed that Chen Xiaoxi didn’t follow him right after he exited the classroom. He slightly inclined his head to the side, and used his peripheral vision to observe her, she was happily discussing something with the person sitting behind her. His footsteps came to a halt, but in the end, he continued walking and didn’t turn around.
Chen Xiaoxi aimed a look from the corner of her eye, Jiang Chen was already gone, only then did the blinding, smiling expression on her face disappeared, and then she covertly slipped the manhwa that she was holding under the desk behind her, "In any case, it's very nice to look at, if you want to read it then I can lend it to you."
She put away her things on her bag very slowly, she also left the classroom and left the school very slowly, Chen Xiaoxi also bought a popsicle in the corner store near the school gates. She used to buy them before going home, and so as not to let her mother find out, she'd carefully and meticulously wipe her mouth and her fingers clean. Then later on, she had been walking home with Jiang Chen and felt embarrassed to buy, after all, one's image must also be taken into account once in a while.
It's just that, she didn't expect that in the vicinity near her home, she'd run across Jiang Chen riding his bicycle. When he saw her, he pulled on his brake levers making it stop and turn to the side sharply just right in front of her, the wheels that were scraping against the ground let out a hasty squeak.
Chen Xiaoxi, with a popsicle hanging from her mouth, didn't know how to respond.
Jiang Chen said, "Chen Xiaoxi, I'm doing a test run on my new bike."
Actually, he has already gotten this bike for almost half a month.
Chen Xiaoxi forced out two hollow laughs, "Hehe, your bike looks good."
After saying that, she had wanted to bypass him and his bike, but Jiang Chen shouted to stop her, "Hey, do you feel like going anywhere? I'm going to take you." There was a momentary pause and then he continued, "I just want to test how this bike fares when carrying another person."
She threw the popsicle stick into the sewerage by the roadside, and excitedly replied, "I want to go to the beach."
"You're going to the beach for what?", Jiang Chen took a swift glance at his watch, it was relatively fine, it wasn't too late to go there and back.
"I just want to go." Chen Xiaoxi said, beaming. "I haven't been to the beach in a long while."
Jiang Chen shrugged his shoulders, "Hop on."
The wind of this small town next to the sea has a slight fishy smell to it. If you have a keen sense of taste, and inhale the wind rushing towards you with your mouth open, you can even taste a little bit of salty flavour to it. Chen Xiaoxi was hiding behind Jiang Chen, the wind was blowing against his school uniform making it bulge. Her one hand was holding unto her seat, while the other was poking the wind that has accumulated on the back of Jiang Chen's uniform, pressing it gently to deflate it, but the moment she lets go, it would bulge once again.
"Now that you've gotten yourself a bike, will you ride it to school from now on?"
"Not riding it."
"Why?"
"No reason."
"Oh."
"Chen Xiaoxi." Jiang Chen suddenly called her.
"Hmm?" Chen Xiaoxi who has become exhilarated from poking his clothes, craned her head besides Jiang Chen's waist to try to see his facial expression.
Jiang Chen glanced down at her, "Sit properly."
"Oh." She pulled back her head and sat properly, "Why did you call me just now?"
"It's nothing, I was just asking if you can ride a bike." He said.
"Can."
A sudden brake made Chen Xiaoxi knock her cheek against Jiang Chen's spine. Her cheek knocking against an adolescent boy's bony back would certainly make it ache dully.
Jiang Chen turned his head at her direction, and was smiling while watching her rub her cheek, "Let's have you carry me on a bike."
"I will not be carrying people." Chen Xiaoxi said with grievance.
"So slow-witted."
The ride continued to move forward, Chen Xiaoxi was still rubbing her cheek that was still hurting from the bump, "My face was knocked askew by you."
"It was already askew to begin with." Jiang Chen said.
"You are the askew one just now." Chen Xiaoxi punched him on the back.
The beach has a slightly orange-coloured ocean and sky, the peaks of its waves were flashing like golden glitters, and there was that golden sandy shore. Chen Xiaoxi screamed and jumped off the bike, "Aaaaah——ocean——I'm coming!"
Jiang Chen parked his bike by the roadside, bending down at the waist to lock it, the dimple on his left cheek that was showing because of his smile looked deeper than usual because of his act of stooping down.
When Jiang Chen walked over to the beach, Chen Xiaoxi was already sitting on the sand, untying her shoelaces, he asked her, "What are you doing?"
"Taking off my shoes." Chen Xiaoxi replied, "Otherwise, when I get home later with sand having gotten inside my shoes, my mum would definitely give me a scolding."
But after dislodging one shoe, she suddenly came to a stop, then tried to wear that already dislodged shoe once again. Watching her actions, Jiang Chen was puzzled, "Why aren't you taking them off?"
Chen Xiaoxi desperately shook her head, "This doesn't seem good, forget it, I ——ah——"
She screamed because Jiang Chen took advantage of her being caught off guard, and suddenly pulled her shoe from her foot, then threw it far from them.
After screaming, both of them remained silent which caused a strange, awkward atmosphere to dwell upon them, Jiang Chen let out a fake cough, then said, "Chen Xiaoxi, why is there such a big hole in your sock?
Chen Xiaoxi hung her head low, her big toe was poking through the hole, "I couldn't find any socks to put on this morning…….That's why I said just now not to take off my shoes……."